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We visited Las Vegas in early January 2010 and stayed in the area for 10 nights but as they say.....
What Happens In Las Vegas, Stays in Las Vegas
Sheila's Las Vegas Tips
Here are a few notes on Las Vegas. It's is a place to have a lot of laughs and to "see the world".
Think of it as a treasure hunt, looking for gems which are all over the city.
Who needs to travel around the world, go to Vegas instead!
Important things to bring:
- a good street map of Las Vegas would be extremely helpful.
- a good pair of comfortable walking shoes (lots of walking and very few places to sit down unless you are playing the slots)
- a day pack to carry your supply of water and snacks (we carried ours everywhere)
Guide Books - I would go to your local library before you leave home and take out some books (request an extended check out period).
One of our favourites, "Las Vegas - Eyewitness Travel Guides"; well laid out and lots of pictures.
Be aware that Vegas is always reinventing itself and some hotels mentioned in guide books may be demolished or changed ownership.
For example "Barbary Coast" is now "Bill's Gambling Hall". The old "Stardust" is now a hole in the ground.
Check out the "Frommer's" and/or "Fodor's" guide books for the south/west USA and/or by each state (for the rest of your trip).
Booking a Hotel:
Sundays thru Thursdays are the best days to book. The rates go up on Friday and Saturday, holidays, or when there is a major event in town. Book online directly with hotel or use one of the many websites. We got a good deal using "Tripres.com".
Extra Resort Fees - beware! Many hotels have a hidden charge called "resort fee" that you are not aware of until it is time to pay.
For a list goggle Las Vegas Resort Fees VegasChatter.
Hotels On/Close to the Strip -
Harrah's - we stayed here and thought it was very good value and a great central location.
Imperial Palace - is the cheapest middle of the strip, but it feels like a well-used hostel for partying 20's.
Wild Bill's Gambling Hall - gets good reviews for a fun atmosphere.
Hard Rock Hotel - this place has such a cool atmosphere.....not cheap though sometimes heavily discounted.Pool parties. Off the strip
Circus Circus - do not stay here! It looks old and tired and it is far from the action, probably that is why it has the cheapest rates.
Hotels Downtown -
El Cortez - we stayed here. The rooms were good but the casino is not a place you want to hang out. You have access to the nice workout area across the street in their suites.
Golden Nugget - this place looks good and has a fantastic looking swimming pool.
Mainstreet - gets good reviews and reasonably priced.
Driving & Parking - We also found that it was pretty straight forward driving around Vegas, though we had a good street map. All hotels have free parking. Look for the "Self-Parking" signs.
Parking at Harrah's - to get to Harrah's "Self-Parking" lot (7 floors), take Koval Lane and look for the turn-off sign for the hotel. The lobby is just across from the parking lot.
Here are a few places to check out on your walking tour (start point; Harrah's):
My memory is a little fuzzy on exact locations and times noted below. They may be incorrect.
Get the latest free hand-out magazine, called "What's On", for times and other info. Excellent source.
Going South (East side of Las Vegas Blvd) starting at Harrah's -
Flamingo - walk around their gardens and pool and check out the flamingos and other birds.
Margareteville - has 3 levels of outdoor cafés. The plate of Nachos is enormous and the other food gets good reviews. Lots of novelty drinks though not cheap. Great place to people watch.
Paris - the decor in the casino is impressive. You can also pay to go up the Eiffel Tower (we did not do this). Check out the "restrooms" and listen to the speaker system providing tips...quite strange!
Miracle Mile Shops - this is a circular (1 mile) walk, indoors, through shops but I like the Moroccan decor.
Planet Holleywood Hotel - worth a walk thru the casino. Mod decor.
Showcase Mall -
Giant Coca-cola bottle - We rode the elevator inside the bottle, a cheap (free) substitute to the Eiffel Tower.
M&M Store (next door to the Coca-cola shop) - On the third/top floor they show a (free) 3D film. Check it out. It's called "I lost my M". It's a chuckle.
MGM Grand - you can see the lions (for free) in a glass enclosure (next to the casino). They are usually sleeping. Yawn.....
CBS Television City Research Center - (inside the MGM) be part of focus group, watch a show and give your reviews. We did not do this as we did not have time. If we were there for a couple of months, we might do it....
"Welcome to Las Vegas" sign - I would recommend driving here as it is a long way south. There is a small parking lot at the sign.
Going South (West side of Las Vegas Blvd) starting at Harrah's -
Forum Shops and Caesars Palace - The statues are great and are everywhere. Nice seats through the Forum Shops. Take a break and rest your feet. Don't bring your credit card to the Forum Shops! Villa Reale in the Forum Shops is full of sticker shock items. I dare you to ask the clerk the prices on some of the items. I think the jade sculpture was $200,000. Apparently this was one of Michael Jackson’s favorite shopping places which would explain why he was in so much debt when he died. Check out the "Statue of David"(actual size). At the "Garden of the Gods", is a hokey fountain show that runs every half hour starting at 3pm. The swimming pool area at Caesars Palace is amazing.
Bellagio - stand outside and watch the amazing fountain show (every 1/2 hour starting at 3pm). Walk around inside and check out the conservatory (garden) and casino.
City Centre - walk around the shopping mall and check out the neat water feature with the whirling water tubes. There is a new ultra modern hotel here called, "Aria", that is worth a walk thru.
NY-NY - walk the Brocklyn Bridge on the outside and walk thru the casino and restaurants. Great decor.
Luxor - a bit of a walk to get to. Fun to see the Sphinx outside with the backdrop of the pyramid.
Mandalay Bay - large complex, lots of walking, not much to see.
Going North (East side of Las Vegas Blvd) starting at Harrah's -
Venetian - inside on the second floor, walk along the Grand Canal and see St.Mark's Square.
Wynn Las Vegas - opulence! I love the carpets through the casino.
Wynn Encore - more opulence! and more beautiful carpets.
Going North (West side of Las Vegas Blvd) starting at Harrah's -
Mirage - every hour, starting at dusk, the volcano erupts. Best place to stand is on the strip sideway, facing the pond. Where is the volcano you ask? It's the large rock mound. The hotel is also worth a walk-through.
Treasure Island - there is a free pirate show, starting in the late afternoon, outside of the hotel.
Fashion Show Mall - main stream shops (not just the designer botiques) and there are nice seats through the mall, so rare in Vegas.
Circus Circus - Give this a miss. They have circus acts performing every 1/2 hour thru the day. We did not think much of this.
Other Hotels to check out -
Hard Rock Hotel - drive here. Check out the Rock shrines (such as Elton John's piano and Elvis Presley's jumpsuit) dotted around the casino and hotel's main floor.
Main Street Station - in the downtown area. Pick up a brochure from the front desk, listing all the interesting artifacts around the place, including the Berlin Wall in the men's urine. I got security to hold back the men from entering so I could see it. I am told they do this all the time. The buffet looked pretty good here and gets a good rating.
Golden Nugget - in the downtown area, is a happening place with a nice pool. You can get a day pass for $20 for the use of the pool and deck. There is a large aquarium with sharks in the centre of the swimming pool. And in the center of the aquarium is a enclosed water slide/tube you can slide down. At least just go see it. Check out the display of the largest gold nugget (you will need to ask someone to find it).
Downtown Area - they have tried to revitalize/create more interest in this area with the "Fremont Street Experience". At night, they have a hourly sound and light show projected on the ceiling of outdoor pedestrian mall. Worth a walk around at night just to see all the old neon lights displayed thru the mall.
Hilton and the Trump hotels - we didn't find them particularly interesting (the latter did not even have a casino).
Wedding Chapels - need to renew your weddings vows? Weddings are a big bizness in Las Vegas. The greatest concentration of chapels, including a drive-in, is between the strip and Downtown along Las Vegas Boulevard. The Elvis theme is popular.
- Little Chapel of the West (4671 Las Vegas Blvd) is the oldest chapel (1945) and pretty, at the south end of the strip.
- Viva Las Vegas (1205 Las Vegas Blvd), at the north end, is where you can get Elvis to perform the ceremony.
- Little Chapel of the Flowers (1717 Las Vegas Blvd.) at the north end, is very popular.
- Chapel of the Bells (2233 Las Vegas Blvd.) at the north end, is another popular chapel.
Sidetrips and Other places of Note:
Clark County Museum - (1830 south Boulder Hwy/Equestrian, exit 56A) we enjoyed very much, $1 admission. Recommended.
Desert Research Institute, home of the "Atomic Testing Museum" - (755 East Flamingo, east of Swenson) $9 admission. Opens at 10am. Gets excellent reviews and worth a visit.
Pinball Museum - (recently moved across the street from the Liberace Museum) is a lot of fun. Free admission. They have machines all the way back from the 1950's and all are in working order. The price to play each machine is what the price was at that time. We played some of the old 1970's 25 cent machines. Classic.
The Liberace Museum - (1775 East Tropicana, west of Spencer) gets great reviews. Go if you like(d) Liberace.
Red Rock Canyon - (west of town, off of Hwy 159) we did this as a day trip. You can buy your $80 "interagency pass" here. (This is a national park's pass) If it is too hot you can just visit the park's info office and do the scenic drive.
Valley of Fire State Park - (97 kms north/east of Las Vegas, off Hwy 15) you can do this as a day trip. We stayed there on a subsequent trip and really enjoyed it. Search out the "wave"!
Ethel M Chocolates - (2 Cactus Garden and Sunset Rd, Henderson) you can see them making chocolates (before 2pm). It's just OK.
Boulder City - en route to Hoover Dam, take the short detour and drive down the town's main street.
Railway Walk - (off of Hwy 93) starting from the Hacienda Hotel which is close to the Hoover Dam. Starting from their parking lot, we did the Railway Walk (nice views but nothing special). It's not a long walk.
Hoover Dam - on the Arizona side of the Hoover Dam there are free parking slots so you can then walk back across the dam. Note: the first parking slot on the Arizona side is not free. Drive a little further on. We did not take the tour but it sounded interesting.
Food:
We ate a lot in our hotel room. We cooked in a kettle/hot pot (bought at Target) and cooled our beer in our plastic wash basin filled with ice from the ice machine just down the fall.....you get the picture.
Grocer's - Here is a list of grocer's, noting just one location of each, closest to Harrah's but recommend driving there. Lots of other locations:
Sunflower Market - 3365 East Tropicana/Pecos...or...4020 South Rainbow/Flamingo) this is our favourite for fresh produces etc.
Smith's (called "Fry's" in Arizona) - 6130 West Tropicana, west of Jones - has the best prices. Get your loyalty card at customer service to qualify for the sale prices in the store and throughout your trip. We bought the cheapest and biggest bottle of gin here.
Von's (called "Safeway" in Arizona) - 1155 East Twain, west of Maryland (another loyalty card)
Albertson's - 1300 East Flamingo, east of Maryland (more loyalty cards....).
Trader Joes is also another possibility for the eclectic (good bread and nice selection of cheeses)
Restaurants:
Archi Thai Kitchen - (6360 West Flamingo, west of Jones blvd.) Inexpensive lunch and very good authentic Thai food. Nice bright atmosphere. If you like Thai food, Lotus of Siam on E Sahara is a definite must. Komol is also nearby.
Ellis Island - (4178 Koval, south of Flamingo) is connected to the Motel 8 and is walking distance from Harrah's. Great steak dinner for $9.00, includes soup and beer (special not on the menu, just ask your waitress). When there, sign up at the casino to join their player's club (gambling). They provide each member with $10 free slot play (takes 24 hours for them to process the card so you will be coming back for a second visit).
Capriotti Sandwich Shop - (4983 West Flamingo, west of Decatur) There are many other locations in town. They make great subs especially pastrami and the turkey. There is one in Boulder City too.
Main Street (hotel) - buffet gets a good review.
ChinaTown - there is a large oriental population in Las Vegas (they make good gambling dealers). They support a surpsingly large, sprawling Chinatown, complete with supermarkets and Asian restaurants; on Sands Avenue about a mile and a half west of Las Vegas Boulevard.
Shows:
Any Cirque de Soleil show - "Mystere" is playing at Treasure Island and gets great reviews. Buying tickets on the internet is easier.
Julibee! - at Bally's. It's a high-kicking, feathered head-dressed, scantily clothed dancing girl show with other acts. There are a lot of 2 for 1 tickets for this show so don't buy until you get to Vegas.
"Tix4Tonight" (many booths on the strip but the closest to Harrah's is just north, outside "Casino Royale", next to Denny's) This outfit sells discounted tickets for that day's and next day's shows . Cirque de Soleil was probably $15/person cheaper from this place than buying online, and other shows had bigger discounts. Note, there is a $2 service charge when purchasing tickets and there can be a long queue at times.
Shopping:
Target - (4001 South Maryland, north of Flamingo), a good place to pick up your Styrofoam cooler, etc.
Premium Outlet Center - Just in case you have not had enough shopping on the strip, there are two "Premium Outlet Centers" you can drive to.
- 7400 Las Vegas, east of Warm Springs (we went to this one and got some good clothing deals)
- 875 S. Grand Central Pkwy, east of Las Vegas Freeway and south of Bonneville
Best Buy - many locations for electronics.
REI - two locations in town for the outdoor enthusiast.
WiFi - Unlike most U.S. towns or cities, free wifi is NOT included in hotel rates and there are very few places that have free wifi (they want you to gamble, not surf the internet). So it is best to research where free wifi is accessable before arriving. The Apple Stores and Coffee Bean outlets offered free wifi when we were there.
Websites to check out:
yelp.com is a excellent site to check out to get other people's reviews of (America) restaurants, hotels, shows, etc.
whats-on.com is a good site and they also produce the best free printed magazine which can be picked up at many hotel lobbies.
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